Sunday, January 02, 2011

Digital Camera Batteries - Rechargeable is the Way to Go

There are few different kinds of digital camera batteries. Some cameras take rectangular-shaped batteries that are made specifically for the camera. Others use AA batteries or rechargeable batteries that are of the same shape. If you have this kind of camera, and you have ever tried to power it with regular AA batteries, you undoubtedly discovered how much power it takes to set off a powerful camera flash. You certainly need to invest in rechargeable batteries, a purchase that is more expensive than regular AA batteries, but that will pay for itself in the number of batteries it will prevent you from needing to buy.

Rechargeable batteries come with a charger so you can refill them with power ahead of when you need them. It is wise to buy two sets of rechargeable batteries and one charger so you can have a set in your camera while another is charging. You will never be out of power if you keep one set continually charged. Not only is there more than one style of battery for different kinds of digital cameras, there are varying materials that digital camera batteries are made out of. The most reliable kind available today is a lithium-ion battery. These are lightweight, long-lasting and recharge quickly.

Keep in mind that even if you keep two sets of batteries on hand, after you deplete one and transfer to the other one, it may not seem fully charged anymore. This is because batteries lose power when they sit around for a while after being charged. This does not harm the battery unless you fail to use your digital camera batteries for a few months. Otherwise, just be aware that when you go to use your batteries that were charged a few weeks ago, they may not be at their full capacity anymore. Go ahead and use them, refraining from recharging them again until they are nearly drained.

When digital camera batteries were first introduced, they were quite poor in maintaining their charge for more than a few pictures that required a flash. Today, cameras deplete their batteries much less quickly, but you can still preserve the life of your battery by charging it fully and using it until the display on the camera indicates that the battery is almost empty. Avoid letting your battery run completely out until it forces the camera to turn off. This can damage the battery if allowed to happen too frequently.